I bet on my life

A British man celebrated his 100th birthday more than £7000 richer on Sunday after placing a bet 10 years ago on his own long life expectancy.

Sunday was Arthur Best’s 100th birthday, and as well as receiving a telegraph from the Queen, he received his winnings after betting on his own life expectancy. He placed the bet ten years ago with 66:1 odds to win the celebratory sum.

A birthday party was thrown in his honour in the town of Shrewsbury in eastern England to which the guard of honour of his old regiment with which he served in India and Burma was invited.